Monmouth and Fairfield Advance to the 2018 MAAC Softball Championship Final
No. 1 Monmouth University - 3 | No. 2 Fairfield University - 2 (F/14)
MAAC Softball Championship | Winner's Bracket
MU Softball Park | West Long Branch, NJ
Monmouth (31-14) advanced to the championship round after Alex Holzman deposited one over the left field wall in the bottom of the 14th inning to beat Fairfield 3-2. Both Fairfield (26-25) and Monmouth scored in the seventh to make it a 2-2 game. Monmouth had multiplefly balls come up just short of the fence in extra innings before Holzman finally cleared the fence in the 14th.
Monmouth Notes
The win makes it a 12-game winning streak for the Hawks and they are 23-1 over their last 24 games.
Amanda Riley picked up her 20th win of the season and becomes just the second Hawk to eclipse that plateau.
Riley went the distance, throwing 220 pitches, striking out 17, and allowing only one earned run.
Fourth straight appearance in the Championship Round for Monmouth.
Holzman's home run was her ninth-leads the team.
Fairfield Notes
Freshman, Lauryn Rhinehart pitched a complete game for the Stags. Rhinehart faced 51 batters, threw 214 pitches, struck out 10, and scattered eight hits over 13-plus innings.
Sam Merino scored the first run of the game when she came home after a throwing error when she swiped third.
Amanda Rubin singled to center to left-center to bring in Lauryn Rhinehart and give Fairfield a 2-1 lead.
The Stags left a runner on in four of the seven extra innings.
No. 6 Marist College - 2 | No. 5 Manhattan College - 1
MAAC Softball Championship | Elimination Bracket
MU Softball Park | West Long Branch, NJ
Marist (27-31) scored once in the second and third innings and made it hold up to eliminate Manhattan (28-25). The Jaspers Manhattan loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh but left them loaded as a fly out to center ended the game.
Marist Notes
Nicole Teague went the distance and picked up her fifth win of the season.
Lauren Beal and Brandi Coon had RBI for the Red Foxes.
Claire Oberdorf went 3-for-3 with a double.
Manhattan Notes
Briana Matazinsky (11-10) suffered the loss despite allowing just one earned run.
At the plate, Matazinsky was the lone Jasper with multiple hits.
Daniela Chiorazzi drove in the Jaspers lone run.
No. 2 Fairfield University - 6 | No. 6 Marist College - 5
MAAC Softball Championship | Elimination Bracket
MU Softball Park | West Long Branch, NJ
Fairfield (27-25) walked off in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run double from Angie McGuire down the left-field line. Amanda Rubin and Rachel Seiber scored from third and second respectively. The double from McGuire completed a run of five unanswered runs by the Stags. Marist (27-32) led 5-1 after three.
Fairfield Notes
The Stags remain alive to claim their second-straight title and third in the last four seasons.
McGuire's only hit of the game was the walk-off double. She also walked twice.
Makenna DiGuilio drove in a run and went 1-for-3.
Rubin got on base four times and scored three times.
Karisa Hughen (3-8) went the distance, while striking a pair and allowing only two earned runs.
Marist Notes
Caroline Baratta went 2-for-4, scored twice and drove in a run.
Brandi Coon and Claire Oberdorf drove in a run.
Megan Beiermeister (5-6) suffered the loss after allowing the walk-off double with one out in the seventh.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.